SOMP blog

My Babykid told me she'd like to plant some flowers. A couple of years ago, we had to have a big old ash tree removed, and so in its former spot there's some super fertile soil, what with all of the stump decay and whatnot. One day after school this spring we went out and planted a package of zinnias and fluffy looking sunflowers (not knowing what a striking resemblance the sunflowers would bear to Bune, the pooch we would add to our family before the flowers bloomed!). What a delight it has been to observe their blooming and her fascination with them. "Did you see my flowers?" she'll ask me. I love that!

The cool thing about that sunflower is that after a couple days of significant rain this summer, it toppled over. I thought it was going to be eaten by a squirrel or something, but it made a right angle turn UP! and here you have it. "I like that picture!" she says. I think it looks like it's trying really hard to be humble but can't help itself.

Ever since I was a kid myself, I have tried to take photos of flowers like this--hover over them and take a bright, crisp picture that actually captures the beauty of the plant. Until very recently, I did not own a camera that could do that consistently. I have taken a hundred pictures like these, easily, in the last couple of weeks. The practical side of me believes these pictures would be the most redundant photo album in the history of the world, but the artist side of me believes there's something lovely particular to each flower and by extension each picture of a flower. I can't get over this guy's wings!